Wiee mask



(No Model.)

11'. CQLEE.

WIRE MASK.

Patented Oct. 23,1883

the wire portion of the mask.

NITED STATES PATE T FFICE.

HARRY 0. LEE, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

WIRE

MASK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,137, dated October23, .1883.

\ Application filed August 20, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY 0. LEE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented an Improvement in WVire Masks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

WVire masks have been made for the use of base-ball players, to guardthe face from concussion by the ball. These masks 'are rigid, and occupyconsiderable space. Im my improvement the mask is made to fold, so as tooccupy but little space in transportation. The mask can easilybe adaptedto faces of different shapes, and the wire is bent in such a manner asnot to interfere with the movements of the head, and there is nothing toobstruct the vision as the eyes are turned in following a ball.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of Fig. 2 is a plan showingthe forehead-rest and the at taching device, and Fig. 3 is 'a sideelevation of the mask.

The face-mask is made with the horizontal or nearly horizontal wires a b0 (Z and the eyebow wires f and g. The nearly-vertical wires h 2' kl atcross the other wires, and are fast ened securelyto them. Usually at thepoints of intersection the wires are partially notched or crimped, so asto set closely together, and the ends of the wires are bent around, aseyes, to receive the adjacent wire. At the j unctions of the wires 7w;7; and h 1" 7a with the eye-bows f and g the ends of such wires h z k hi k will usually be flattened quite thin, so as to'be wrapped partiallyaround such wires f g without any projections, so that a ball strikingupon the eye-bows will be deflected laterally,

and will not be detained or injured by projections. The ends of thewires a I) f g c are bent us as eyes at the vertical central part of themask, at which place there is a wire, a, that forms a hinge-pin, itbeing understood that the mask is made with two half-sections unitedtogether at the center of the mask. By this construction the two halvesof the mask can be pressed together and occupybut little space, or theycan be opened more or less to suit the wants of the person wearing thesame. The spring of the wires will allow the halves of the mask to beswung on this hinge-pin a, notwithstanding the fact that this pin willusually be an arc of a circle, to conform to the general shape of themask. out if it is desired to separate the halves of the mask forconvenience for transportation.

The halves of the mask are to be made sufficiently large to allow themto occupy an inclined position to each other and reach across bedeflected by the inclination, and the nearer the back edges of thehalves of the mask are brought together the more the center willproject. This allows for the preferences of the wearer beingaccommodated, and for the mask to be adjusted to wide or narrow faces.I11 order to hold the mask when so adjusted, I employ the adjustablebraces 19 and q, one at the upper and the other at the lower part of themask. The bars that compose these braces are looped at their fixed endsaround the lap, and one is provided with a stud, the other with holes,so as to vary the length of the braces, and there are sliding clips 0"1' upon the respective braces, to hold them together after adjustment.The braces maintain the back edges of the mask at the proper distancesapart.

Upon the wires Z m Z 111/ there are cushions t t, that rest against thesides of the face and form yielding bearings for the mask.

strap, a, that is sufficiently wide to take a bearing upon the chin andform a chin-rest, and there is a similar-strap, forming a foreheadrestat 12. These chin and forehead rests and the face-cushions, however,have been used in other wire masks.

There is a strap, w, extending from the forehead-rest in the form of aloop, throughwhich the top brace, 19, passes. This preserves the 1forehead-strap in its prop'erposition vertically.

The attaching-strap y passes around the back of the head from one wire Zto the opposite wire, and it is usually of elastic webbing, with a strapand buckle, as. shown.

In masks that have heretofore been made the wire it passes across theeye-opening. This, however, sometimes interferes with the vision of thewearer. Iextendthe eye-bows fg around to the wires m m, and hence amable to leave the eye'bows open to the edge-wire Z. At the This pin canbe drawn Across between the wires 707s there is a leather to the sidesof the face, so that a ball will wires k and m, respectively. The freeends bottom of the mask the wires Z k are united, or made as one, justbelow the bottom brace. This strengthens the parts, and to preventcontact of the mask with the chest, shoulders, or clothing of the wearerthe wire I is inclined forward and outwardly to the lower end of thewire is, and in this wire it there are two bends, at 5 and 6, one aboveand the other below the wire a, to form stops, so that the chin-rest canbe buckled to such wire 70 either above or below such wire a, and willbe held in such position vertically by the stops 5 or 6 and wire a.

I claim as my invention 1. The wire mask made of two halves united by ahinge in the center, and provided with the cushions and attachingstraps,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a wire mask, of two halves with eyes at the endsof the wires at the middle of the mask, a wire passing through sucheyes, and adjustable braces at the upper andlower parts of such mask,substantially as set forth.

3. The wire mask formed in two halves hinged together in the middle,with the eyebows f and 9 extending to the side wires, m m, respectively,and united with the wire I at the edge of the mask, substantially asset, forth.

4. In combination with the extension-brace q, the wires k Z of the mask,extending down and united or formed in one, the wire I being inclinedoutwardly and forwardly to the wire k, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a wire mask, the combination, with.

H, C. LEE

Witnesses:-

Gno. T. PINOKNEY, \VILLIAM G. MOTT.

